Online Nursing Degrees

If you want to be a nurse but can't leave your current job to attend school, an online nursing degree program may be the perfect answer for you.
 
Accredited online nursing degree programs offer alternatives that allow you to get a degree while continuing to work full-time. You can take continuing education courses to obtain further degrees, or begin an entirely new career by earning your associate's or bachelor's degrees in nursing online.

Online Nursing Degree Programs: Course Offerings

From obtaining an associate's or bachelor's, to making the transition from RN to Nurse Practitioner, all necessary courses are available online. Here are just a few of the degrees offered:
  • bachelor's and associate degrees in nursing
  • LPN to RN degree online
  • online RN to BSN
  • online MS in nursing programs
  • nurse practitioner programs.
These degrees, which span a good deal of nursing education, just scratch the surface of what's available online in the nursing field.

Prerequisites for an Online Nursing Degree

While it's best to check with the school you are interested in for its specific requirements, here are some general guidelines for common prerequisites students must fulfill to be accepted into online nursing degree programs:
  • a minimum GPA of 2.0 to 3.25, depending on the school
  • four years of high school English
  • SAT or ACT exam: scores vary by school
  • three years of high school math, including geometry and algebra II
  • three years of high school science, including biology and chemistry
  • two years of high school foreign language.

For continuing education, such as RN-BSN, RN to MSN and MSN programs, you'll usually need the following:

  • a 2.5-3.0 GPA in selected prerequisite courses
  • a current RN license
  • graduation from a National League of Nursing accredited nursing school.
While the majority of online nursing programs focus on continuing education, plenty still allow you to earn a first degree in nursing. These programs offer you the chance to complete your entire non-clinical portion online. Clinical requirements are usually satisfied at a medical facility near your home.

Cost of an Online Nursing Degree

Although the numbers vary widely, students can expect to pay from a little less than $100 to over $300 per credit, with average tuition for online programs sponsored by public universities falling in the $110-$170 range. Associate's degrees usually require completion of 60 to 70 credits.

Why Choose Nursing

Here's a quick quiz: What entry-level position pays the highest - firefighter, police officer, emergency medical technician, paramedic or registered nurse? If you're reading this article to begin with, you probably already know nursing has them all beat.
 
The average national salary in hospital settings for starting RNs is $39,000, rising to just over $47,000 in three years. If you are educated at a master's level, add another $10,000 to both of those.
 
Job security is another positive aspect of nursing. As the largest health care occupation, registered nurses held 2.5 million jobs in 2006. Despite that staggering number, the opportunities for nurses are expected to grow over the next decade.

Nursing Work Environments

So perhaps you're interested in a nursing career, but don't like being in hospitals. No problem. An online nursing degree can lead you to places other than a hospital floor. Here are some of the places that are expected to need a large number of nurses in the next 10 years:
  • employment services
  • home health services
  • nursing care facilities
  • outpatient care centers
  • physician's offices.

With an online nursing program, a rewarding career helping others is now within your reach.

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